Tidal Florette - A Painted Soul I

Yumi - 59

Akkokaido looks out and sees The Reigning Dawn breaking the horizon. Yumi follows his gaze and frowns. "Will you watch over her? Please?"

"You needn't ask, I foresee this as only the dawn of their legend in this realm." It looks back at Yumi and Sapha. "The same cannot be said of you. You have both cast a shadow of death over the realm for quite some time."

Yumi looks over to Sapha awkwardly, but she's lowered her head back into the shade of her hood.

"This path to relieve your shame... An honorable matter... Farewell."

The god turns to the sea and with a flap of its wings takes off over the surface at a blazing speed before descending into the depths. Yumi looks over at Sapha again and her heart warms seeing the stars peek through the sunset on the horizon. Yumi can sense Sapha is caught up in memories of the past, regrets of lives taken against her wishes. "What happened then made who you are today... And that couldn't be any more perfect."

"You don't understand... All of your killing helped people... Who cares what anyone thinks of it. They wanted to die in a beautiful battle that only you could offer. And if there's truth to your afterlife? Who the fuck has the right to say you did anything wrong?"

Yumi watches the tide pull the thin layer of seawater from their feet as Sapha continues. "All of my killing? I spent ten years killing good people... helping my father grow stronger... sealing the fate of Nuvoluce into a crippled state under his heel."

She reaches around her waist and unclasps the hour glass. "Do you know what I like to think, every morning when I flip this? Every single grain is a life I shouldn't have taken. A child who was orphaned by my hand. Another mouth unfed in the poverty my work incited..."

Yumi turns away and shakes her head. "I wish I could be proud of what I've done. I wish I were sure there really was a realm where I'll see them all again and meet all my predecessors... And see my mother..."

A tear rolls down her cheek. "But do you know who I am thinking about? All of the widows left behind. All of the children I've orphaned." Her voice waivers. "And... all of the mothers whose children won't be coming home because they came to ME."

Turning back to Sapha, she's raised her head and her own cheeks are wet with tears. Yumi walks over on the moist sand and takes Sapha's hand. "I might not understand, but I can't help being damn close to it. And what I don't understand, I can't help but feel through my whole being... And of all the feelings swirling around me that I can't understand? There's one I'm sure of..."

Sapha's hand grasps Yumi's tightly, "What's that?"

Yumi's eyes darken as her gaze lowers. "That... I can't help but love you..."

Sapha pulls away and starts walking toward the palace remains. Yumi calls after her as her sight blurs from tears. "And I know you don't feel the same!"

Sapha stops and turns back slightly, not enough to show her face. Yumi's lip quivers. "Nothing fucking hurts more than my heart being bound to yours and knowing you don't want me... But... I..."

"You don't understand, Yumi... Just because I don't love the way you want doesn't make me fucking heartless... Now shut up and come on." She looks back and Yumi can tell behind the mask she's actually smiling. "And put your clothes back on, weirdo."

Yumi sniffles and hurries to grab her robe. It's totally soaked, but she realizes something feels different. She can sense all of the water in the fabric and as her aura glows to life around her she carefully focuses. A deep hum of unseeable forces dismiss the water back to the sea, leaving her robe entirely dry. So did Akkokaido lie and leave me with that... or was he being serious about commanding the sea?